Irish Maternity Hospitals Restricting Mothers Choice for Birth Support

national | consumer issues | news report

Friday July 22, 2005 16:50

by Tracy Donegan - Doula Ireland

tracy_niall at yahoo dot com

Doula care shown to reduce caesarean rates

Mothers in Ireland continue to have their choices in childbirth challenged by the Irish maternity system. Doula services which are now available in Ireland and gaining popularity are being prevented from entering many hospitals.

Although birth assistants or doulas have been around longer than obstetricians, the term and role is not very well known in Ireland. Birth assistants are making resurgence in maternity care throughout the world. They are the newest member of the birth team. Birth assistants bring essential added support not only to the mother, but also to the doctor or midwife, the hospital staff, and, especially, the father, during the birth experience. Birth assistants are not a replacement for the special support that dads provide.

Today medical interventions and cesareans are at an all time high. Ireland’s cesarean section rate continues to climb. With these developments more and more women are educating themselves on ways to reduce the risks of intervention and cesareans such as hiring a doula.

There have been more than 15 randomized worldwide studies over 20 years on the effects of doulas on labour. The results are surprising to many;

* 50% reduction of cesarean rate

* 25% shorter labour

* 60% reduction in epidural requests

* 30% reduction in analgesia use

* 40% reduction in forceps delivery

Many Irish hospitals refuse to acknowledge the positive benefits that doulas bring and insist their staff provides sufficient care. But in a 2002 JAMA study of 7000 women (Hodnett) found that continuous support by hospital employees had no effect on reducing the caesarean rates. The benefit was greatest when the caregiver was not a hospital employee.

Ireland continues to see climbing caesarean rates and doulas are SHOWN to reduce caesarean rates – plus it doesn’t cost the hospital ANYTHING because doulas are privately hired by the mothers. If the effects of doula care was available in pill form it would be unethical NOT to use it.

Irish hospitals are already stretched to capacity…and the birth rate in Ireland is continuing to rise and maternity units continue to close.

Doula Ireland has recently been featured in the Irish Daily Star, The Irish Times, Irish Parents magazine. Doulas will also be featured in an upcoming Sunday Tribune.

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Comments (4 of 4)

A Year On and No Change....

by Tracy Donegan

Mon Dec 11, 2006 16:30

TracyDonegan at DoulaIreland dot com

Over a year has passed since this first posting about Irish hospitals refusing mothers a second birth partner (doula) that has been clinically proven to reduce cesareans and unnecessary interventions.

Given the clear benefits and no known risks associated with intrapartum support, every effort should be made to ensure all labouring women receive support, not only from those close to them but also from specially trained caregivers such as doulas. This support should include continuous presence, the provision of hands-on comfort, and encouragement. Hodnett, E.D. Support from caregivers during childbirth (Cochrane Review) in Cochrane Library, Issue 2. Oxford Update Software, 1998. Updated Quarterly. Facing unprecedented pressures to reduce expenses, many hospitals are targeting the largest single budget item – labour costs…

(An) unintended consequence of healthcare cutbacks may be an increased cesarean rate; the inability of pared down midwifery staff to provide continuous coverage to labouring mothers (has been) shown to increase the chance of a cesarean…Doulas clearly improve clinical and service quality; they provide an absolutely safe way to reduce cesareans and other invasive birthing interventions.

Doula services which are now available throughout Ireland and gaining popularity worldwide are being prevented from entering many hospitals as part of the hospitals one birth partner only policy. . When a doula is present during and after childbirth, women report greater satisfaction with their birth experience, make more positive assessments of their babies, have fewer cesareans and requests for medical intervention, and less postpartum depression. Surprisingly - Our Lady of Lourdes in Drogheda is the
only hospital in Ireland to welcome women who choose to have doulas with them in labour to help them have a normal birth. All three of the Dublin hospitals insist that the partner and doula cannot remain in the same room with the labouring mother... while her doula sits in the hospital lobby....

Studies have also shown that babies born with doulas present tend to have shorter hospital stays with fewer admissions to special care nurseries, breastfeed more easily and have more affectionate mothers in the postpartum period.

We look forward to moving this important consumer issue forward in 2007.

.

Women left alone in labour - Ireland

Tue Oct 09, 2007 12:12

Oct 2007

Women left alone in labour.........doulas can't solve this problem but would be a step in the right direction. Why not set up volunteer doula programs like they have in the US?

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/hospitals-facin....html

great article

by Kay

Tue Oct 09, 2007 17:56

...and I wish I had a doula for the birth of my baby. I was in Holles street where I was not allowed to kneel or squat, I was quite simply scared out of my mind by the pain which made me panic. They gave me very little encouragement really. I shouldn't complain because I had a beautiful healthy baby, but really, there should be more choice instead of forcing managed childbirth on people.

Active management of birth

by cuckoo

Sun Oct 14, 2007 20:06

>> The active management of birth was the
>>brainchild of the practically all male medical
>> professionals at Holles St. hospital.
>> This was designed to speed up the time and
>> amount of money that was spent on each
>> mother giving birth. It is a cruel and indifferent
>> policy designed to get you off their hands as
>> quick as possible. Some mothers are being
>> sent home within 6 hours of giving birth and
>> told the district nurse will look after you. The
>> district nurse to be fair to her is run off her feet
>> and just may be able to give you 15 minutes,
>> this is no substitute for the medical care that
>> you should recieve in a hospital. Saddest part
>> of all of this is that this Active managrment of
>> birth has been adopted by hospitals all over
>> Ireland and indeed the World. This is why
>> women are given no say or allowed any input
>> into what should be the most important and
>> beautiful day of their life.

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Irish Maternity Hospitals Restricting Mothers Choice for Birth Support

Comments (4 of 4)